Judging from the social media reaction following a 20-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it seems a lot of people are wondering if the consensus trendy pick to make a playoff run is really just more of the same.

Following practice Saturday, the first one since the loss to Green Bay two days ago, it’s pretty clear Jack Del Rio can live with the results because 1) They don’t count; and 2) His team is reasonably healthy. Continue Reading →

Menelik Watson is looking to stay healthy and win the right tackle job. (Staff archives)

NAPA — The Raiders’ battle at right tackle won’t be decided today, tomorrow and maybe not in two weeks.

Menelik Watson and Austin Howard have picked back up where they left off last season, each fighting on the fields beyond the Napa Valley Marriott for the right to start the Sept. 11 opener. If last year taught us anything, it may simply be the man still standing at the end of camp that wins the job. Continue Reading →

The Raiders showed they want to give Connor Cook a true look when they opened minicamp Tuesday giving him some of the second-team repetitions alongside incumbent Matt McGloin. But that didn’t last long, with McGloin taking all the second-team turns the past two days.

Cook was not impressive during these past three days. His passes wobbled at times, at others they sailed and he generally did not look like a confident and accurate passer. The accuracy isn’t a major surprise since he was not a high completion percentage passer at Michigan State. .

It’s way too early to judge Cook, but he’ll likely need to make a significant jump by training camp to have a real chance to supplant McGloin as the backup.

At the two return positions, Taiwan Jones and TJ Carrie will go into camp with the best chance of retaining their spots.

Fifth-round pick DeAndre Washington has been getting work at kick returner along with undrafted free agent receivers Joe Hansley and Jaydon Mickens, both of who also got work at punt returner.

Special teams coordinator Brad Seely was somewhat contradictory when talking about how he views those spots.

“I don’t think there’s any leader,” Seely said initially before adding, ” You have to start with TJ Carrie because he’s been there on the punt returns. Then you have to start with Taiwan on the kickoff return, who did a really good job for us last year. As always, as we tell those young guys or new guys, that they have to beat somebody out if they want to get that job. We have a lot of guys working, a lot of guys working hard. We’ll see once we start playing games, who does well.”

Amari Cooper returned a few punts last year and it didn’t go all that well, but Seely wouldn’t rule out using him again if the situation called for it.

“I think we’ll do whatever we have to do to help our football team,” Seely said. “If he can help us, just like last year he had to come in there in certain situations, we played him. I think we’re also going to be smart. Obviously, he’s such a talent as a wide receiver. We want to pick and choose those spots, but he’s working and catching. It depends on the situation. If the situation arises where we need him, we’ll use him.”

Mario Edwards Jr. was on the field when the Raiders opened their first organized team activity Tuesday, but the second-year defensive end left the field when team drills began.

Edwards, who has said on social media that he’s been cleared to play, is returning from a neck injury suffered in Week 15 of last season. He stretched with the team, but left the field and went to the weight room when practiced ramped up.

The team has remained mum on his status, with coach Jack Del Rio falling back on his personal policy to not speak about injured players except for during the season when the league requires teams to provide updates. Continue Reading →

Austin Howard and Menelik Watson, both returning from injury, will eventually battle for the Raiders’ right tackle job. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Menelik Watson and Austin Howard will battle for the starting right tackle job again, but not until they make returns from injury.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio told reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton,, Fla., that Watson has a chance to be ready when the team’s offseason program starts April 18, but Howard will miss at least the beginning. Continue Reading →